Serendipity

Anna was in her third year of physics and astronomy studies at university and money was tight. She had enough to pay for tuition, food and rent, but not much else. If she truly got into trouble her parents were always there to help out, but she liked to do things on her own if she could. That’s how she found herself at the thrift shop near the campus looking for a warm coat, as her current one was starting to fall apart.

The thrift shop had been a gold mine for Anna in the past couple of years. She had found designer jeans, an amazing cocktail dress from the 20s and the most amazing hat she’d ever seen. It was straight out of the flapper era and matched the dress perfectly. It was as if someone was slowly selling off their grandmother’s things, unwilling to let go completely. She understood that. Her own grandmother was still alive, but in her eighties and was getting frailer. The thought made her a bit sad, so she quickly pushed it aside and went into the store.

“Hi Anna!” exclaimed the store owner.

Yes, she frequented the store often enough that Patricia knew her name.

“Hi Patricia” she responded. “Do you have any new coats? I need one before the snow starts”.

“As a matter of fact, there were some new items dropped off a couple of days ago and I think there was a coat in the donation. They’re over by the cash. I haven’t had a chance to price them yet. Go ahead and have a look.” said Patricia.

Anna wandered over to the pile of clothes on the counter. She smiled when she realized that they must be from the same person who brought in the 20s items. As she picked through the clothes, she found the coat. It was long; about mid calf length, royal blue (her favourite colour), wide lapels and huge black buttons. She loved it! She quickly tried it on and was ecstatic when it fit.

“Patricia! I found the coat! I absolutely love it!” She shouted. “I’m almost afraid to ask how much.”

Patricia came over to the counter and took a look at Anna and smiled. 

“Anna, you look amazing in it! Since you’re such a great customer and the coat looks like it was made for you, I’ll give it to you for $10.” She smiled and winked at Anna.

Anna looked shocked. “It has to be worth more than that. It looks almost brand new. Someone really looked after this.”

“Since this is my store, I get to price the items that come in and I say that this coat is $10. Are you going to take it?” Asked Patricia.

Anna knew that she wasn’t going to win this argument, so she nodded and paid the $10. As she walked out of the store, she looked back through the window. Patricia smiled and waved and went back to sorting through the clothes. 

The coat felt amazing and was really warm. She would have to take it off soon, but not just yet. As she got back to her apartment she instinctively put her hand in the right pocket to get her keys. She laughed at herself when she realized what she was doing. Her keys were in her backpack. Before she could take her hand out of the pocket, she felt something brush her fingers.

Shocked, she pulled her hand out and discovered an envelope. It was stamped and addressed, but looked very old. Fumbling for her keys, she managed to juggle the backpack, keys and letter while managing to open the door. She walked in and immediately sat on the couch and stared at the letter.

It was difficult to read the postmark, but it looked like it said 1924 and was unopened. It was addressed to someone named Shirley Potter here in Ottawa from a Peter Morrison in Toronto. It looked like it might have been from a lawyer. In fact, the address was only two blocks away from her apartment. She sat there for a few more minutes trying to decide what to do. Clearly the person who wrote the letter and the person it was addressed to, were probably dead, right? 

Her scientific curiosity was screaming at her to open it, but on the other hand, it wasn’t hers to open. She decided to leave it unopened and take a chance with the address. Since today was a Saturday and she had finished all her homework, she had time for this one errand. For some reason, she felt really nervous. She stood up, put the letter back in the coat pocket and left her apartment.

It only took ten minutes to walk to the address. It was an unremarkable turn-of-the-century house. So many of the houses near the university looked similar. She had probably walked past it hundreds of times on her way to and from school. 

As she stood on the sidewalk, looking at the house, she noticed some movement at the front window. Her heart skipped a beat and she fought the urge to run.

“This is crazy”, she thought. “There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Before she could decide to walk up to the door or run, the front door opened and a woman who looked about sixty came out onto the porch.

“May I help you?” she asked. “You’ve been standing on the sidewalk for a good five minutes and I can’t help noticing that you’re wearing my mother’s coat.”

She smiled when she said that and Anna smiled back. Anna walked up the path and onto the porch. Before she could say anything, the woman spoke again.

“The coat looks marvelous on you. My mother loved that one and wore it only on special occasions. I’ve been donating some of her things to the thrift shop every month. It’s what she wanted me to do. She said that they were all special for one reason or another and that they would find their way to the right person. It appears she was right. My name is Mary” and she smiled again. “How may I help you?”

Anna couldn’t believe how nervous she was, and instead of saying anything, she pulled the letter out of the pocket and handed it to Mary. 

“I think this belongs to you” she blurted out. “I found it in the pocket.”

Mary took the letter and she looked like she might cry.

“Would you please come in? If this is what I think it is, I want to be able to share it with someone. You don’t know what this means.” She gasped.

Anna walked into the house and Mary directed her to the living room. They both took a seat on the couch and looked at each other in anticipation.

“My goodness.” said Mary. I’m so nervous, my hands are shaking. Would you open it?” 

“Me?” asked Anna. “But, it’s not mine.”

“Please?” asked Mary. “I don’t think I can”.

So, Anna took the letter from Mary’s shaking hands and slowly opened the envelope. She was very careful, as the paper was thin from age and she didn’t want to destroy what was inside. She pulled the letter out and gingerly unfolded it. A smaller folded piece of paper fell out and she picked it up and put it on her lap.

“Would you like me to read it?” she asked Anna.

“Please do.” Mary responded.

The letter was dated October 16, 1924.

“Dear Mrs. Potter,

This is a letter to inform you that your maiden Aunt, Penelope Green, passed away on October 1, 1924. She had no children and you are her only living relative. As such, her estate has been bequeathed to you. You will find a cheque for the amount of 

$1 000 000 accompanying this letter. Please accept our condolences.

Condolences,

Peter Morrison, LLB”.

Anna couldn’t believe what she had just read. She picked up the smaller piece of paper and unfolded it. Sure enough it was a cheque with the amount of $1 000 000 written on it in flourishy writing. With a shaking hand, she gave it to Mary who had tears in her eyes.

“My poor mother was devastated when she couldn’t find this letter. She knew what it was about, but had no idea what was in it. She thought it may have been a few hundred dollars - which back then was quite a lot. I wasn’t even born yet when this happened, but I heard the stories many times. I don’t even know if this cheque is even worth the paper it’s printed on, but thank you so very much for returning it to me. It means a great deal to have it.” Mary told her.

“Well then, I guess I’ll get going. Would you like the coat back?” Asked Anna.

“Oh my no. You paid for it. It’s your now. It looks lovely on you.” said Mary.

Anna nodded and smiled. “It was nice to meet you. Take care and I hope you get at least some of the money.”

They hugged and Anna walked back to her apartment. She didn’t think much more about the letter over the next few weeks. School was getting pretty hectic and she was focused on that. She would wave to Mary whenever she walked by the house and a few times, had been invited in for tea. Mary was a really kind person and Anna enjoyed spending time with her.

One day, she opened the door to her apartment to find an official looking letter on the floor. Someone must have shoved it under the door jam. It looked like it was from the registrar’s office. A feeling of panic swelled up in Anna’s chest. Did her parents forget to send the last payment for her tuition? She opened the envelope and took out the letter. This was not what she was expecting.

An anonymous person had paid her tuition, not only for the rest of the year, but for next year as well! She couldn’t believe it. Who would….. Could it have been Mary? Anna ran out of her apartment and down the street to Mary’s house. She knocked on the door and waited. The door opened and Anna almost knocked Mary down with her hug. 

“Whoa there.” said Mary. “I guess you received a letter from the university? Before you say anything, I was very happy to pay your tuition and my family is fine with my decision. They were all impressed with your actions. You didn’t have to return the letter, but you did. My mother would have liked you, I think.”

From that moment on, there was a special bond between Mary and Anna. It was a tremendous gift that Mary had bestowed on her, but the best gift was that of her friendship. There had never been a better purchase in Anna’s mind.